2017 HONDA CRF450RX VS. YAMAHA YZ450FX
SHOOTOUT
P80
The Honda CRF450RX
mimics much of the way KTM
converts its motocross bike into
a closed-course off-road race
bike. The KTM XC line softens
the suspension settings, goes
with a bit bigger gas tank, adds
an 18-inch rear wheel and a kick
stand, then leaves well enough
alone. The engine and ECU
stay the same as the motocross
models and KTM doesn't have to
mess with adding electric start,
their motocross bikes already
have it.
COMPARO IN THE DIRTO
Neither the YZ450FX nor the
CRF450RX are light bikes. The
motocross bikes from which they
are bred do not have electric
start as standard, so adding the
magic button tacks on a chunk
of weight, then the 18-inch rear
wheel and kickstand bump up
the weight with both bikes. With
full tanks, they both weigh in
right around the 265-pound
mark. As a reference, the 2017
KTM 450 XC-F weighs 238
pounds with a full tank of gas,
too. Yikes!
Honda and Yamaha go differ-
ent directions with the suspen-
sion spring rates in order to
ready the bikes for off-road. The
Honda CRF450R is softer in the
back while Yamaha goes softer
in the front. For general off-road
riding and the average rider, the
handling is pretty darn good on
both bikes.
When the speeds pick up, the
Yamaha suspension, especially
the fork, is a bit soft, making the
bike a little nervous at speed
and dive under braking. Bigger,
heavier and faster testers no-
ticed the soft fork more than our
average testers. The YZ450FX
with a full tank of gas weighs a
whooping 267 pounds on our
scale. If you keep the FX moving
and flowing it doesn't feel crazy
heavy; the heavy sensation kicks
in when speeds drop and the
trail becomes more technical.
The FX is a wide-feeling bike and
like the motocrosser, front wheel
traction is a bit vague at times,
although the FX front end feels
just a bit more planted thanks
to the softer fork springs. The
weight of the FX is also more
noticeable due to the slightly un-
balanced and soft suspension.
Weight is a major
concern with both
bikes. They are
significantly heavier
than their European
counterparts.
